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Speakers for a 12 x 13 room

So I recently moved to a new room. Sure it's small at 12 x 13 but now I can dedicate it to audio complete with as many room treatments and posters of Otis Redding as my heart desires.

For speakers I am looking at monitors like the Devore 3XL, Audio Note J, and Harbeth Compact 7's. I selected these speakers on sonics (I've heard all but the Harbeth's) but mainly because the specs indicate that the speakers when placed out in the room don't go much below 40Hz.

I HATE boomy out of control bass and with a room as small as mine I feel that bass boom could be a problem. Is there a cut of frequency wise I should be looking for in speakers to avoid bloated bass?

I anticipate a number of nodes especially around 60Hz given my room dimensions so my thought was to have speakers that don't go to much lower than 40hz (-6db). Does that make any sense?

Thanks for the advice!
Vik
vikkysingh
audiokinesis
2,716 posts
 
Vikvilkhu, it sounds like you're thinking of high efficiency main speakers that don't go down very deep plus an equalized sub.

For an optimal small-room system my own thinking is along similar lines, though you might consider using two or more small subs. The reason is NOT to get louder or deeper bass - the reason is to get smoother bass. You see, in small rooms a severe peak-and-dip pattern is inevitable no matter where you place the sub, and equalization alone is not a complete solution. By using two or more small subs placed asymmetrically, each will produce a different peak-and-dip pattern at the listening position. The sum of these dissimilar peak-and-dip patterns will be smoother than what you can get with a single sub, and this will be true throughout the room. Combined with EQ this is a very effective approach.
dodgealum
1,398 posts
 
I ran a pair of Harbeth Compact 7's in an 11 X 11 room that opened on two sides and it was a close run thing. They sounded good but could overload the space at times. The Harbeth's like some room to breath and when I moved them downstairs to a much larger space (13 X 23 and open on one side) they really came into their own. The Harbeth sound is hard to beat--perhaps a pair of the P3ESR or even Monitor 30's would do the trick?
bblilikoi's avatar
bblilikoi
99 posts
 
I currently use a transmission-line speaker--the Von Schweikert VR5-HSE--in a 12 x 15 room. No issues.

But I like Duke's recommendation quite a lot. Wish I had the leisure/option to try it. I heard his new speakers at RMAF a while ago, the one with the subwoofer array called "The Swarm," and was very impressed.
krisjan
100 posts
 
I'll toss the Spendor SP 1/2E's into the mix. I used them in a room about the same size as yours and I can tell you that the bass was never boomy. They go down to about 40 Hz. Midrange and treble are very natural on this speaker. The reason I gave up on these excellent speaker is that I wanted full bass extension (I listen to full orchestra a lot and want a full bottom end for more realism) and was never able to get a sub to mate well with the Spendors. I curently have Vandersteen 3A Sigs which are fantastic even in such a small room.
ryder
1,682 posts
 
Dodgealum made some good points. The Harbeth P3ESR is one little gem that sounds very good and will work well in that space. The C7ES3 will also work but will sound better if given more room to breath. Both will pose little(or none) bass problems in the room.
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